London, Jan 28 (ANI): Iranian authorities have raided at least four newspapers and arrested several journalists in what appears to be a crackdown aimed at intimidating the media in advance of the presidential elections in June, a report has said.

Reformist newspapers Etemaad, Shargh, Bahar and Arman were targeted by a group of plain-clothes officials who ransacked offices, filmed staff, confiscated documents and held several journalists, sources have claimed.

Etemaad's editor-in-chief, Javad Daliri, was reported to be among at least 10 journalists who have been arrested, the Guardian reports.

According to the paper, it not clear where Daliri and others reporters have been taken, nor if more journalists have been detained.

Journalists from the reformist Aseman weekly have also been arrested, according to the state-run media.

Reasons behind the mass arrests on Sunday are still not clear, but the state-run media said the journalists were accused of co-operating with "anti-revolutionary" Persian-speaking media organisations outside the country.

According to the paper, Iran has previously arrested people who it claims had links with foreign-based Persian-speaking media, especially the BBC's Persian service, which is loathed by the Islamic republic but remains popular in the country. (ANI)